On past days, the federal government outlined several plans of actions from the different State Secretariats, including Tourism, replying – or trying to do so – to the recent meteorological disaster that have affected the country. There was an instruction to invest resources and design an advertising campaign for the state of Guerrero, with the aim of reactivating economic activity in this popular destination. However, beyond any marketing strategy, there is a need for the implementation of an integral tourism policy, due to what happened with hurricanes Ingrid and Manuel exhibited how unprepared the government is for these type of emergencies, in addition to faults in monumental public works such as the Sol Freeway.
Even though the most serious danger for tourists is insecurity, nowadays, in some regions, infrastructure should also be considered as a threat, due that it’s weak and poorly planned. Scarcely a policy of project assessment occurs, in addition that technical studies made for constructions of works are deficient. Mexico needs to attract investments in an intelligent way, to have more airports, better highways, trains, industrial ports and a mobility capacity that will make tourists not only to stay on the “all-inclusive” luxury hotels, a factor that generates a much lesser income for the country compared to the one it could have if their mobilization within the territory was higher. It is time to ask what kind of tourism does Mexico want and what it has to achieve it.
For tourists to move around the country without losing thousands of hours in trips, the deficient state of highways should be taken into account, a result that most of the times, governments try to implement at the end of their administrations. One of these cases is former President Felipe Calderón and his Proportional Contracts of Highway Preservation, whose goal was to achieve continuity in works and reduce costs of contracts. However, the Secretariat of Communications and Transports cancelled in 2013 at least 16 projects of highway maintenance (including Guerrero). The national plans of infrastructure always look ambitious at the beginning of every administration. In the next six years the federal government intends to construct 15 highways, 29 roads, 16 thoroughfares, 3 passenger trains, 7 ports, 7 airports and it has even proposed re-launching the railway. In order to be leaders in the tourism sector, which represents the third source of income for the country, there is a need for competition in other sectors, such as the aerial one, given that high prices of commercial flights, just like the oligopolies of taxi drivers around hotel and airport zones, discourage tourism.
Regarding sustainable tourism policies, it is essential to increase supervision on environmental legislation, especially from beaches throughout in the country. In addition, there is no implementation of a flexible and efficient system of organization and coordination to adapt to the new needs of the country as well as the market’s conditions. This affects competitiveness and if there are no drastic changes, it is likely that Mexico will keep on dropping places among those countries that generate the most income derived from tourism. While there is still lack of transparency in the assignation of contracts and allocations for infrastructure, just like the exercise of public expenditure destined for the sector, all efforts made to promote touristic destinations will not be enough for an area that has an invaluable potential.
CIDAC
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